In a January characterized by a seemingly never-ending fountain of amazing independent bands (this is one of the best opening months for new music in recent memory for me), I have found yet another worthy addition to the alluring list. Gone By Sunset has been honing in on their signature honest Michigan alternative rock since 2010, and with the recent release of “Skeleton Key”, a blistering 5-minute trek through the crumbling of a personal relationship, the band is now perfectly poised to unleash an affecting debut LP in the near future.

There are plenty of strengths these Michigan boys can (and do) manipulate in their sound, including a triple-threat front line of three vocalists, a strong, cinematic lead guitarist and my personal favorite: an emotive, carefully planned symbiotic writing style, in which each individual part of the composition seamlessly blends with the sentiment of the lyrics. Firstly, the three singers all have something positive to offer, with the two DeLeon brothers perfectly complementing each other (Alec’s high harmonies in particular are especially preternatural) and Aaron Rush offering a nice counterpoint in the choruses. Rush also keeps things interesting throughout “Skeleton Key” with his refined guitar riffs, which add yet another layer of complexity to the already exceedingly diverse single.

Gone By Sunset truly comes to shine, though, during the bridge, where Aaron Bradley decimates his drums, slamming his sticks against them with the utmost vigor, all while remarkably in sync with DeLeon’s smooth lamentations. This is where Gone By Sunset rises above so many other bands. The guitars pulse and pause with an emotional chaos but still somehow manage to lock in with the intricate percussion—a far cry from the cookie cutter modern breakdown, with its expected robotic chugging and listless clichés. In an intimate, but huge moment, DeLeon clamors over the uselessness of combative, petty songwriting while his bandmates stagger over ineffable walls of chords, unleashing them at the most emotionally compelling, not quantized, of moments. This makes “Skeleton Key” play as more human than anything else, and thus, far more impactful.

I tend to commend any song with a successful, relatable catharsis, and the earth-shattering power of every member of Gone By Sunset simultaneously screaming through their instruments in “Skeleton Key” is certainly a sound to behold. If this is any indication of what’s to come, it’s thankfully going to be a long time before Gone By Sunset actually manifests their namesake.

“I was born in the Midwest / A small town in Michigan”. First lines can, for better or for worse, often make or break a band for new fans, venues and even labels. We all know that if those introductory lyrics fall flat, for whatever reason, you might as well kiss your chances goodbye until the next recordings surface and correct that wrong. The Skeptic, an alternative hardcore outfit currently blooming in (you guessed it) Michigan, was expectedly well-aware of the weight of such first impressions, and they made damn sure they did it right on their newest EP, “The Fire Next Time”, which is about as dressed up as you can imagine.

Right out of the gate, listeners are immediately aligned with criminally undiscovered vocal virtuoso Andrew Paulo as he reminisces of growing up, painting for us those seemingly never-ending summers, which are forever fossilized in his memory. To say it’s a strong opening is a vast understatement, as The Skeptic musicians proceed to launch themselves directly into the rest of “Summer Nights”, a colossal opening track boasting the band’s technical fluency in combining alternative and hardcore influences.

The EP is extremely impressive overall. The guitars are extremely strong throughout, sometimes offering up beautiful textured chords in anthemic choruses (exemplified in “Sellout”), and other times slinging complex harmonies across the sonic spectrum (as portrayed in “Burn”). There is a widescreen ambiance to the 6-strings in closer, “Scream”, as a massive solo overtakes Paulo’s amazing performance just at the heaviest moment of impact. New, innovative sounds emerge in “Summer Nights”, as delicate melodies dance over a quaking breakdown as the conclusion draws near.

Instrumentally, as you can imagine, The Skeptic is definitely about as good as it gets, but somehow, Paulo still manages to steal the show, track after track on “The Fire Next Time”. It’s not that Paulo is significantly better than his bandmates—there isn’t a weak link at all, actually—but rather, his musical brothers have built the perfect amplified foundation on which his impossibly ranging voice can command and engage. It’s rare to hear such a powerful, yet beautiful delivery leading an unsigned, mostly independent act, but The Skeptic has come to rise above so many of their peers with Paulo’s talent, and the groups collective skills as a whole. The producers and album engineers deserves an equal nod, as they have mixed and mastered with the time and attention that such a band deserves, particularly excelling with the vocals. The spaciousness of “Scream” gives Paulo’s cords enough room to truly shine, and will, without a doubt, send chills up your spine time and time again.

I often feel that many of the bands I review deserve far more attention than that which is doled out to them, and The Skeptic is about as far from an exception as one can imagine. This is a band that not only knows how to write interesting songs that are both heavy and catchy, but also has an exceedingly talented, engaging frontman who can wrap up the whole package into something as presentable as a first date tuxedo. To sleep on these small town Michigan boys (who are now tearing it up in metropolitan Detroit) would easily be your biggest mistake to date. There’s a fire right now, and there will, indeed, be an even bigger one next time—so why look away?

Hailing from Flint, Michigan, It Lies Within, a band that’s been at it for years, has risen to the occasion to headline Hear This! Promotions' first ever, Hear This FEST﻿ - and we could not be more thrilled.

The band will be the main attraction at an amazing day of upcoming music on February 8th, immediately following the end of their winter tour, which spans much of the east coast in a matter of less than two weeks.

Gravitating between inspiration and brutality while equally fluent in numerous sonic languages, It Lies Within offers an approachable sound for fans of the classic genre (the ripping solo in “We the Betrayed” is sure to impress any old Maiden timer) and the young flag bearers of new conventions (“The Watcher” never lets up for a second, breaking down in every way imaginable).

The second I realized It Lies Within was something special was in the final moments of “The Watcher”. The track already succeeds on multiple fronts with its blending of positive lyrics, beckoning a crowd from their rooms to the stage in hopes of doing more than just existing, with unmatchable low-tuned ferocity that, while operating within limited frameworks, handles the emotional release valve with seasoned gravitas. Vocalist Zachary Scott is as charismatic as he is relatable, utilizing his powerful scream to not only prove his worth, but also simultaneously construct himself as “one of us”, if you will—a performer and a fan. As his chilling (but still somehow uplifting) concluding line, “You are not alone” echoes off into the ether, an expertly placed electronic synth pulses in tune with your newfound brotherhood. You’ll be out of your room and dancing with everyone in no time, guaranteed.

"The Watcher" isn't the only note worthy song however from the group. Their 2012 album, "Chrysalis", is filled with amazing music, and tracks such as "Redefined Identity" and "Foundations" really standout and show what this band can do, and leave you wanting more.

Hear This! Fest kicks off at 4PM on February 8th, and It Lies Within—just one of many necessary, and potentially undiscovered, treasures you need in your life—will be there, and ready to throwdown a performance of a lifetime! So stop just existing. Take a chance and be a part of something. Show up Feb. 8th and make history at the first ever, Hear This! FEST. Who knows? Maybe we'll be back at it next year, and just maybe YOU'LL be headlining!

Batten down the hatches and lock the doors, my friends, because the UK’s The Sentient has returned with a brand new full length album this past week, which, if you haven’t heard it, is the perfect finale to the amazing year that 2013 has been for music. All the way back in January, I found myself enjoying the band’s “Feel” EP, but that was clearly just a clever tease for the juggernaut that “Promises” was to be. So grab some headphones and head over to The Sentient’s Bandcamp with me today. Let’s cap off the year in style.

Tightening and improving up on nearly all aspects that made The Sentient so great on their earlier material, “Promises” is eleven tracks of blistering and schizophrenic progressive metal, perpetually raging with itself between ambient and discordant soundscapes. “Batten Down the Hatches” is certainly a fitting beginning to the album, but “We’ll Consume Ourselves” is really the first proper introduction to the metal monster that The Sentient has become in the past twelve months. In all of their progressive glory, the verses blast you in the face with arbitrary and surprising pauses that I couldn’t ever hope to understand or count, even after weeks of work, and the creativity is nearly unmatchable throughout. A breakdown composed entirely of guitar scratches? I’ll bet you never thought of that, and I’ll equally bet you won’t even be able to contain yourself once it actually kicks in.

The aforementioned battle between metal and melody is as palpable as ever, with skillful tradeoffs taking place on “Hard Thoughts” and “Liason” as the vocalist quickly shifts back and forth between strong clean singing and screaming. Most heavy bands who attempt both of these generally excel at one and settle for mediocrity in the other, but these UK metal alchemists fortunately have the chops to succeed equally in each. The Sentient’s skill to segue seamlessly between these two vastly different styles will never cease to impress me.

Those gravitating toward music of the heavier ilk will certainly find much to enjoy on “Promises” (see “Through the Eyes of a Broken Man…” and “The Cost of Cohesion”), but to overlook some of the more diverse sections would be to miss the point of The Sentient entirely. Snippets of ambient/shoegaze material weave their way into the opening and conclusion of “Liason”, wetting your palette for an extended near-drone section in “No Words”, which sits perfectly right at the album’s midpoint. The melodic guitar opening “In Circles Pt. II”, (a wonderful callback to “In Circles,” released earlier this year), will satisfy any true progressive music fan, equally representative of both a good melody and a heavy counterpart.

The Sentient has crafted a very impressive release with “Promises” that sticks around long enough to showcase all of the band’s talents, but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Clocking in at just over 32 minutes, “Promises” is an absolute pristine offering of independent progressive music, proving the skills without requiring the oft-expected extended investment. Of course, now knowing how capable the band is, I’m expecting (and hoping for) a one hour concept album next time around, and if it’s anywhere near half as good as “Promises”, it looks like we'll be seeing The Sentient at the top.